Category: Books & Writing

The Barbary-an Invasions: Nerdist at Outside Lands

from Nerdist:

Saturday the 11th is Nerdist Day at San Francsisco’s festival of music, food, art and comedy.

For four years, the Outside Lands festival has brought Golden Gate Park the best in bands, food, art and more, but this year, Aug. 10-12, they top themselves with an entire day of Nerdist. In the Barbary, a tent with mirrored walls and a stained-glass ceiling, three days of comedy and variety include a Saturday presented by us.

Nerdist Day, August 11th (which we’d call “Sat-Nerd-Day” if BBC America hadn’t beaten us to it.) kicks off at noon with a session of soft rock and sweet ‘staches from Mustache Harbor.  Then things really get into gear at 1 p.m. with a Nerdist stand-up cluster hosted by Jonah Ray, featuring Pete Holmes, David Koechner, Michelle Buteau, Jesse Elias and Caitlin Gill. If your weekend isn’t sufficiently magical after that, stick around at 2:10 p.m. for Justin Willman and his masterful Magic Meltdown.The Dork Forest‘s Jackie Kashian hosts a second stand-up cluster at 5 p.m. with Reggie Watts, Ron Funches, Michelle Buteau, Cory Loykasek and Mike Drucker, and then between 5 and 8 p.m. there’ll be back-to-back Nerdist variety shows featuring Chris Hardwick, Neil Patrick Harris, David Koechner, Justin Willman, Marcus Monroe, Jonah Ray, Pete Holmes, Ron Funches and Jackie Kashian. Holmes will also be hosting a live edition of You Made It Weird Sunday at noon with stars from Adult Swim.

So come and step “Outside” next weekend. In addition to our all-star line-up, some of the finest in food, beer and wine will be available, plus there’s an art show and of course some heavy-hitting bands like Metallica. But to quote one of their more famous tunes, when you’re hanging with the Nerdist gang at the Barbary, “Nothing Else Matters.”

Sci-Fi Patriarch Ray Bradbury Dies

Official statement from raybradbury.com

Ray Bradbury, recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91 after a long illness. He lived in Los Angeles.

In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury has inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston’s classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television’s The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. In 2005, Bradbury published a book of essays titled Bradbury Speaks, in which he wrote: In my later years I have looked in the mirror each day and found a happy person staring back. Occasionally I wonder why I can be so happy. The answer is that every day of my life I’ve worked only for myself and for the joy that comes from writing and creating. The image in my mirror is not optimistic, but the result of optimal behavior.

He is survived by his four daughters, Susan Nixon, Ramona Ostergren, Bettina Karapetian, and Alexandra Bradbury, and eight grandchildren. His wife, Marguerite, predeceased him in 2003, after fifty-seven years of marriage.

Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, Live forever! Bradbury later said, I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped.

VIZ Media Offers New Sci-Fi Book – The Future is Japanese

From: www.VIZ.com

VIZ Media’s Haikasoru imprint announces the release of THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE, a new fiction anthology featuring science fiction and fantasy stories from some of today’s greatest writers from both Japan and the English-speaking world. The book is now available from the company’s Haikasoru imprint and has a MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $17.99 CAN. An eBook edition will also be available for the Amazon Kindle, Apple’s iBooks Store, the Barnes & Noble’s Nook Books Store, and the Sony ReaderT Store.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences, and is the first imprint based in the U.S. dedicated to Japanese science fiction
and fantasy in translation.

THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE offers a selection of original and classic science fiction about Japan from some of the greatest writers in the world. Stories include a web browser that threatens to conquer the world, the longest, loneliest railroad on Earth, a North Korean nuke hitting Tokyo, a hollow asteroid full of automated rice paddies, and a specialist in breaking up “virtual” marriages. And yes, giant robots. These thirteen stories from and about the Land of the Rising Sun run the gamut from fantasy to cyberpunk, and will leave readers knowing that the future is Japanese!

“THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE is a stirring new anthology and the first release of original prose fiction by Haikasoru,” says Nick Mamatas, Haikasoru Editor. “Japan is a nation long renowned for its futuristic worldview, and THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE will engross readers with short stories by authors such as cyberpunk legends Pat Cadigan and Bruce Sterling, New York Times bestselling author Catherynne Valente, the enormously popular and prolific Japanese writer Hideyuki Kikuchi, and hot new writers Rachel Swirsky, David Moles, and Ken Liu, who have all already won or been nominated for the Nebula and Hugo awards. We look forward to readers discovering and enjoying this new collection!”

For more information on THE FUTURE IS JAPANESE and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com .

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan’s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa.
With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.
Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com .

New Art Book Explores Fiendish Art from Fantasy Master Tom Baxa

CvrDark fantasy art fans and gamers alike will rejoice at today’s release of veteran fantasy illustrator Tom Baxa’s new art book Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa. Baxa’s art for notable games likeDungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, World of Warcraft tcg, Darksun, L5R, Shadowrun, miniatures and more has been in high demand for years, and is available now for the first time in this one comprehensive collection.

Said longtime Tom Baxa fan and veteran illustrator Dave Dorman, “Tom’s characters step right out of your most horrific fantasy nightmares with exquisite detail. For gaming and horror fans, this isthe art book to buy this month.”

Tom Baxa’s paintings are known for their energetic and dramatic feel; his characters crackle with an in-your-face threat that is both menacing and captivating at the same time.  His confident brushstrokes, painterly approach, and rich color sense imbue each painting with life.

Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa highlights this master illustrator’s work and shows an impressive and inspiring range of inventiveness.  His creature designs are intriguing and spark the imagination, compelling viewers to ponder the character’s culture, influences, and all too often, tortured lives.  Gruesome monsters with gnarled flesh are ripped and scarred until any semblance of normalcy is eradicated and a new form of wretchedness is unleashed. Baxa’s range shines through with additional sections on his Wicked Fairies® characters, his short stories, sketches and evocative personal work.

Blood Rituals: The Art of Tom Baxa is available through Diamond Distributors at comic and game shops everywhere, or by contacting the Comic Shop Locator Service at 1-888-266- 4226 or www.comicshoplocator.com.  Blood Rituals is on page 352 of Previews May 2012; Diamond item code is MAY121402. Marketing artwork for this book is available upon request.

About Thomas M. Baxa
Thomas M. Baxa has been illustrating fantasy creatures that haunt the imagination for over 24 years in game industry where he has contributed to countless games including Dungeons and Dragons, Shadowrun, Vampire, Magic the Gathering, and World of Warcraft tcg. He is a highly sought after illustrator and concept artist, designing characters for games, books, miniatures, video games, and film, while developing his own properties and managing his website www.BaxaArt.com.

A Toy Design First: Max Toy Company Collaborating with #1 Star Wars Artist Dave Dorman and Dorman’s Young Son

Max Toy Company CEO Mark Nagata is pleased to announce his first-ever collaboration with Eisner and Inkpot Award-winning artist Dave Dorman, and Dave Dorman’s seven-year-old son Jack Dorman. This also marks the first time Max Toy Co. has collaborated with a father-and-son team, but according to Nagata, “Dave’s son Jack has already exhibited some uncanny art chops, so this unique team will make for a way cool monster design. Add Dave’s passion for Japanese monsters and his design sense to the mix, and I know this toy will be a best seller.” Nagata, who named his own company after his own son, understands the power of the father-son creative connection.

Dorman, no stranger to toy design, worked with Hasbro for seven years creating G.I. Joe character designs, and also created the best-selling Alien: Resurrection action figures toy line. Both lines can be seen in Dorman’s autobiography, Rolling Thunder: The Art of Dave Dorman (IDW Publishing/Desperado Publishing).

Said Dorman, “I am honored to be working with Mark. I’ve been a fan of his toys for a long time and attended his Toy Karma exhibit at Rotofugi here in Chicago. I am equally excited to be working with my son Jack on this project, whose early passion for Domos has evolved into a fascination with Kaiju, in no small part thanks to Max Toy Company’s wonderful Japanese monster toys. This will be one of the most fun and memorable projects I’ve had the good fortune to do.”

Toy progress and teasers will be announced on http://MaxToyCo.com, and Nagata will show teasers during San Diego Comic-Con from the Rotofugi and Dragatomi booths. For more information, please visit http://maxtoyco.com or http://davedorman.com

About Dave Dorman  

A legendary, beloved figure in the comic book industry often characterized as “one of the nicest guys in comics,” Eisner and Inkpot Award-winning artist Dave Dorman was voted the #1 Star Wars Artist of All Time by the fans; George Lucas owns more than 90 of Dave Dorman’s original oil paintings. Dorman has created art for every major publisher and licensed character within the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror, including but not limited to Batman, Conan the Barbarian, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Spiderman, Buckaroo Banzai, Captain America, G.I. Joe, Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Alien, Predator, Alien v. Predator, World of Warcraft, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and many more.

Dorman has been a featured guest many times at San Diego Comic-Con where he exhibits yearly in Booth #4500. Dorman is also an exhibitor at Star Wars Celebration shows and Chicago’s C2E2. Dorman’s own I.P., Steampunk motorcycle western The Wasted Lands, is relaunching in 2012. Dorman’s biography and career retrospective book, ROLLING THUNDER: THE ART OF DAVE DORMAN (IDW/Desperado Publishing) is available on Amazon. Dorman’s pencil illustration and traditional oil painting tutorials are available through Hollywood’s The Gnomon Workshop.

Dave Dorman Social Media:

About Max Toy Company / Mark Nagata

 Over the years Mark Nagata has collected thousands of toys and a fair amount of titles. The man behind San Francisco-based Max Toy Company is widely known as: Toy Collector.  Illustrator.  Magazine Founder/Publisher.  Toy Designer.  Artist.  Author.  Husband. Father.  But the one description that might fit best is an unofficial one – Kaiju Toy and Art Ambassador. 

In the Japanese-inspired art and toy area, as well as throughout the larger toy collecting community, Mark is welcomed and recognized for his personal passion and commitment to supporting artists all around the world and the unique works they create. Mark’s devotion to presenting collectors with a selection of original figures inspired by classic Japanese toys from the 1960s and ’70s as well as new versions of licensed Japanese characters is at the heart of Max Toy Company.  Named for his son, Max Toys specializes in custom and limited editions of “kaiju” (Japanese monsters) toys and artwork.

Through Max Toys, Mark, who trained at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and honed his skills as a freelance commercial illustrator, has taken great pains to widen the reach of his two passions – toys and art.  He has helped curate successful art shows throughout the U.S., as well as in Japan and Spain. His artwork and toy designs have been included in numerous books and magazines and his hand-painted custom toys have even been sold through prestigious art houses Philip De Pury and Christie’s in New York and London. The San Francisco resident and his art can also be spotted in the first volume of the “ToyPunks” DVD and the “Toys R Us” DVD, while the video for Owl City’s number one song “Fireflies” features Mark’s popular Kaiju Eyezon character.  In 2010, Mark served as guest lecturer on kaiju and the toy-making process at the Morikami Museum in Florida. While young readers still enjoy his colorful style that graces more than 40 cover paintings for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps book series – Give Yourself Goosebumps, adults are now snatching up Mark’s toy and artwork with a collector’s zeal, helping to spread the kaiju toy movement worldwide.

Mark Nagata’s Social Media:

Pocket God Comics Issue No. 14 Haunts the App Store with “Para-Abnormal Activity”

Ape Entertainment and Bolt Creative announced today that Pocket God Comics issue No. 14 is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

In “Para-Abnormal Activity,” the last issue before a new story arc begins, the two-tribes crash into a mysterious island while trying to get home from their previous adventure.

Straight from the spooky aisles of ghostliness and with the girls unable to regenerate, this may not be the best time to hang out on a haunted island. Yep… ghosts, a mystery, and a dubious murder make this an ooky-spooky, extra-kooky issue of Pocket God.

Based on Pocket God, one of the best-selling iPhone apps of all-time, the full-color digital comic book series is one of the most successful digital comics to-date. The comics are available on the App Store via iVerse Media, a digital distribution partner of Ape Entertainment.

And remember, the Pocket God Comics App is updated frequently with all kinds of free extras including The Pygmy Peril newsletter, an exclusive re-mastered version of the first Pocket God animated short, free Little Green Men comic short stories, and more cool stuff!

Pricing and Availability:

The Pocket God Comics App is available for $.99 USD from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or atwww.itunes.com/appstore.

For more information, please visit http://www.ApeComics.com or www.boltcreative.com.

About Bolt Creative

Bolt Creative is a San Francisco-based developer creating original iPhone applications and games, including 2009’s blockbuster iPhone game Pocket God. Bolt Creative’s goal is to create games that are not only fun to play, but fun to develop and make them laugh. For more information please visitwww.boltcreative.com.

About Ape Entertainment

Founded in 2003, Ape Entertainment is the brainchild of lifelong comic book devotees David Hedgecock, and Brent E. Erwin.  Ape Entertainment is the comic book home to innovative new titles as LITTLE GREEN MEN, SCOUTS, and HEROIC.  Ape is also the North American publisher for licensed properties SHREK, THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA, RICHIE RICH, CASPER, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, and CUT THE ROPE.

Visit Ape Entertainment online at http://www.ApeComics.com.

About iVerse Media, LLC

iVerse Media(http://www.iversemedia.com)is a digital content distributor focused on the world of comics and popular culture. Founded in 2008, the company was one of the first to launch digital comics on Apple’s iOS platform. As of Oct 2011 over 5 Million products in the iOS App Store have been downloaded that are powered by iVerse, making the “iVerse Engine” one of the most popular and widely used platforms for reading digital comics in the world. The company is principally located in Waco, TX. For more information on iVerse Media, please visit: http://comicspl.us

Carter Blanche: Martian Musings at the John Carter Premiere

from The Nerdist:

The critics have had their say. Starting today, you can weigh in on our Facebook page. But at the Los Angeles premiere, we got to ask some of the creative forces behind John Carter about reviving Edgar Rice Burroughs’ century-old pulp trip to Mars. “When you’re talking about Middle Earth andLord of the Rings, do you worry that paleontology hasn’t turned up any elf skeletons in the Permian layer?” asked cowriter Michael Chabon, rhetorically. “It may not be the Mars you see when you look through a telescope, but it’s the Mars you see when you look in your heart.” (He also told us that the Kavalier and Clay movie isn’t happening, but he is in talks with HBO).

Likewise, composer Michael Giacchino did his best not to worry about how sound or native music might be generated on our planetary neighbor, saying, “It doesn’t even matter what planet they’re on or if they’re a rat or on the Enterprise out in space – you go for the character and the emotions that the people carry.” Star Taylor Kitsch did his best to prepare with as much reality as could be found in the story of a Confederate soldier in space, citing, “months and months and months of immersing myself in the Civil War and, of course, the aesthetic part of it, which was just this silly, strict diet.”

The masive-budget, sword-and-sandal-and-spaceship epic is directed by Andrew Stanton, best known for…Wall-E andFinding Nemo? It’s not as big a stretch as you might think; Like Nemo’s dad, Carter has also lost a child, and like Wall-E, he finds himself the hero of a desert ravaged by environmental destruction. Also, says Stanton, “I never really left animation. There are more animated shots in John Carter than in Wall-E.”

John Carter opens today on our planet.

 

The Nerdist Channel: Finally, a Network That Gets You

From The Nerdist:

It’s just like FUBU, but for nerds…so FUNBUN. Yeah, FUNBUN.

No one likes doing shameless plugs; that’s how infomercials and US Weeklyare born. Fortunately for us, there’s no shame in telling you that we are a proud part of Nerdist Industries, a fine flock of folks who have you covered on everything from funny to film to fashion and beyond. Without them our newsletter wouldn’t be possible, so we’d like to help repay the favor by urging you to check out the brand spankin’ new Nerdist Channel on YouTube, especially since a zombified Chris Hardwick is here to introduce it to you.

You may be wondering, “what can the Nerdist Channel offer me, a discerning aficionado of anime, manga and Asian pop culture?” Well, the Nerdist Channel has the antidote for your anime ails, the nerdy nostrum for your manga maladies and the pop cultural Japan-icillin for, well, you get the picture. Consider it the first step in otak-u-pational therapy. One of our partners, Yoshimoto Kogyo (the producers behind Epic Meal Time Japan) will be bringing their aptly-titled Weird S#!t from Japan to the channel, a pop cultural smorgasbord of the weirdest, wildest things that Japan has to offer.

There’s plenty of other premium content on the horizon too, all of which should make The Nerdist Channel your one-stop shop for videographic nerdly delights. From a Neil Patrick Harris project with puppets and the Awkward Family Show to a mysterious Rob Zombie project and the lightsaber-filled relay race Course of the Force, these are just hors d’oeuvres in the quest to sate your nerdy appetite. They’ve got our official seal of approval so, go ahead, subscribe to The Nerdist Channel – you know you want to.

Fantasy and Intrigue Await Readers in the New VIZ Media Shojo Manga Series The Earl and The Fairy

From VIZ:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, launches a fantastic tale of fairies and fantasy set in against the backdrop of Victorian England with the debut of THE EARL AND THE FAIRY on March 6th. The new Shojo Beat series, created by Mizue Tani with artwork by Ayuko, is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Lydia Carlton is a fairy doctor and one of the few people with the ability to see the magical creatures who share our world. During one of her rare trips to London to visit her father, Lydia’s quiet life is suddenly transformed when she is rescued from kidnappers by a mysterious young man!

Edgar Ashenbert claims to be descended from the human ruler of the fairy kingdom, and he urgently needs Lydia’s help to find and claim his birthright, the legendary sword of the Blue Knight Earl. Things will never be the same for Lydia as she is pulled into a dangerous quest against dark forces!

“Author Mizue Tani originally wrote THE EARL AND THE FAIRY as a popular collection of light novels, and the story has been captivatingly adapted into a manga series with beautiful artwork created by Ayuko,” says Pancha Diaz, Editor. “Intrigue awaits readers as the Earl tells Lydia that he is the descendant of the Blue Knight. But a serial killer is also on the loose, and Edgar matches his description. Could this charismatic aristocrat really be a murderer?”

Mizue Tani is the author of several fantasy novel series and received an honorable mention in 1997 for the Shueisha Roman Taisho awards. Aside from THE EARL AND THE FAIRY, her other major series is Majo no Kekkon (The Witch’s Marriage).

Artist Ayuko debuted with the story, “Us, You and Me,” in the Japanese shojo magazine Bessatsu Margaret, and has gone on to publish several manga titles in addition to THE EARL AND THE FAIRY.

For more information on THE EARL AND THE FAIRY, or other shojo manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit ShojoBeat.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan’s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

VIZ Productions & Warner Brothers to Develop BLEACH Live Action Movie After Banner Year

VIZ Media, the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in the North America, announced today that Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the live-action feature film rights to the hit manga and anime property BLEACH. The announcement comes after another successful year for BLEACH in print, digital publishing, cable television, streaming video, consumer products and video-on-demand.

“BLEACH has built a huge international following in its manga and anime formats, and we’re excited that Warner Bros. shares our belief that BLEACH can also become a fantastic live-action film,” said Jason Hoffs of VIZ Productions, VIZ Media’s Hollywood-based production company. “BLEACH is an exciting opportunity to mix Japanese and Hollywood storytelling to create something new for the big screen, and we’re thrilled for the opportunity to further expose its unique characters and story to film audiences everywhere.”

Peter Segal (GET SMART, THE LONGEST YARD) of Callahan Filmworks is producing with an eye toward directing. The film’s creative team also includes screenwriter Dan Mazeau, who recently penned Warner Bros.’ upcoming sequel to CLASH OF THE TITANS. Callahan Filmworks partner Michael Ewing and Masi Oka (best known for his roles on NBC’s HEROES and CBS’s HAWAII FIVE-0) will produce. From VIZ Productions, Hoffs will serve as Producer, and Branon Coluccio will be Executive Producer. Screenplay development will commence in 2012.

The popular BLEACH animated and manga series, created by Tite Kubo, follows the adventures of Ichigo, a teenager with the ability to see ghosts. When his family is attacked by a Hollow – a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo encounters Rukia, a Soul Reaper tasked to hunting Hollows, and inadvertently absorbs her powers. Now, Ichigo must dedicate his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace.

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property around the world. The manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries and has over 75 million copies in print in Japan alone. In North America, the manga (rated ‘T’ for Teens) has consistently appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list for Manga and the Neilsen BookScan Top 50 Graphic Novels list, selling more than 2.1 million copies across 36 volumes.

The BLEACH manga is also available digitally through VIZManga.com and for download through the VIZ Manga App for iPadR, iPhoneR and iPodR touch, where it has proven to be a top-seller. The series was recently sped up to bring North American readers up-to-date with the latest story arc in Japan, culminating in it being featured in WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, the groundbreaking digital manga magazine that VIZ Media just launched at the end of January 2012.

The BLEACH animated series (rated TV-14) has topped the ratings on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, sold over 1.8 million DVDs and consistently ranked among Hulu’s most watched shows, This success has further spawned an array of related video games (over 820,000 sold), apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise.

For more information on BLEACH and to view free streaming episodes, please visit Bleach.viz.com.

For more information on BLEACH digital manga, please visit VIZManga.com/bleach.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, please visit SJAlpha.com.

Arcana Acquires Part of Bluewater’s Fiction Library

from Arcana Comics:

Arcana Comics is pleased to annouce they have recently picked up the rights to part of Bluewater’s fiction library! The publishers have been in talks for quite a while, leading to the aquisition. Titles include the popular 10th Muse as well as Legend of Isis, and Judo Girl, as well as twenty-three others.

“I have worked with Arcana in the past and am excited to team up with them again. Teaming up with another independent comic book company, the foundation can only strengthen our brands,” says Darren G. Davis, Bluewater President.

“Darren and Arcana did Valkyrie back in the day and it’s great to be working with him again. He is one of the most talented and prolific creators I’ve worked with, and everyone is very excited about these dozens of graphic novels added into our library,” says Arcana’s CEO Sean Patrick O’Reilly.

Starting later this year, Arcana Comics will release collected editions of the comic books in graphic novel form, giving new readers a chance to learn about these exciting titles.

Keep reading below for a run-down of some of these titles.

10th Muse – Greek mythology has documented the nine Muses, the inspirational daughters of the almighty Zeus. But history forgot one–the Tenth Muse. Emma, Brett and Dawn were the best of friends — until Emma disappeared, leaving only a note saying goodbye. Now, eight years later, Emma is back, without answers. What happened to Emma? What is her connection with Grayson Bishop, and, most of all, how did ordinary Emma Sonnet become the mysterious TENTH MUSE? Introducing The Tenth Muse, a new kind of super-hero saga unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. A mystery. An action series. A character- driven saga that will bring you to the edge of your seat. See if you can unravel the mystery of The 10th Muse.. Apologies for the blurred cover image, but there is a new celebrity modeling as the Tenth Muse, and it has to be kept a secret until she makes it public!

Legend of Isis – Trapped 5,000 years out of time, the would-be Egyptian Goddess, Isis, must adjust to her new life in 21st century Los Angeles. Using her mystical staff and some help from a few new friends, Isis will protect those around her from evil that may threaten their world. But how can she protect a world that she doesn’t fully understand? Join Isis in her ongoing series debut issue, as she’s introduced to the modern world and its new ways of life. But it seems Isis is not the only ancient warrior alive in our time – as she must battle the Mummy of Sekhent upon her awakening from the dead!

Judo Girl – Adjusting to life iof modern day is one thing. Fighting the female assassin Silencer is another. Worse, one of Judo Girl’s (Diana Moore) most dangerous adversaries from the 1960s resurfaces to complicate her life, Lincoln Stanley, aka Hep Cat. Has he really reformed, as he claims, or is he back to his old tricks?

Styx and Stone – Upon returning from South Africa, Detective Mel Stone was put on medical leave after he was found almost dead on the cargo ship he was on with no explanation and almost no memory of what happened to him.. Now, he’s back on the force with his new partner investigating a string of gruesome campus murders. On the surface, everything is back to normal, but in reality, Stone is back with an added bonus; he’s sharing his body with the career criminal and murder James Wyatt.

Deathsport Games – In the near future, three teens find themselves thrust into a twisted version of the Olympic Games against a horde of vicious Sportsmen and a blood-thirsty crowd of onlookers!

Orion the Hunter – To tempt the Fates is one thing. To out and out steal from them is sheer lunacy. Yet Orion must pit his destiny against some of the fiercest and most dangerous forces Olympus has to offer. As he peels away another veil of the gods’ deceit, Orion is forced to walk the precipice between myth and mystery only to find himself at the very mouth of Hades.

Blackbeard Legacy – The only thing of any worth to Hanna amongst the wreckage of an unlucky vessel is its sole survivor, who tells the captain about a secret treasure only he knows how to obtain. But he has reasons of his own to employ her aide. And with zombies, threatening weather, and the ever-gaining Captain Purloin, it’s going to be a difficult task for the crew to even get off the island. quest for gold, adventure and her fathers head on a stick.

Paparazzi – Los Angeles; some call it the city of angels, others call it a cesspool of debauchery and self indulgence, but whatever you choose to call it, one thing is clear; L.A. is where all the action is. When an entertainment newspaper stops covering celebrity tabloids and starts to focus on the superhero community, all Hell breaks loose. From closeted capes, to drugged out Do-Gooders, no one is safe from the poison pen of Sara Michaels and her award winning snake of a photographer, Glenn Barry. This book explores what goes on under the spandex, and we aren’t talking Botox!

Warlock – A new story from the cult film WARLOCK from Lionsgate. The Warlock is on a mission to destroy a book that contains a spell which imprisoned six other Warlocks. If the book manages to be destroyed, the dangerous Warlocks would be released back into the world free to cause chaos and destruction. It’s up to a rag-tag group of people to prevent the Warlock from carrying out his plan.

Leprechaun – From the cult film from Lionsgate. This is the tale of Lubdan, the king and sole survivor of the Leprechaun. The last of the Leprechauns! A treasure dealer stumbles across his pot of gold and steals it. In this modern age, he finds buyers all over the planet through on-line auctions. Lubdan finds the thief after the gold is shipped to humans across the globe. Lubdan’s quest takes him all over the planet, across time and space. Battling greed, the genocidal Cluracan and new mystical adversaries, Lubdan must save all life to save himself…but not without taking lives!

ABOUT ARCANA STUDIOS

Arcana Studios, Inc. Arcana owns one of the world’s largest libraries of graphic novels and comics, with over 200 original intellectual properties, 300 graphic novels, thousands of comic issues and an ever-growing character list. Arcana has begun to adapt this library into live action feature films, animated features and episodic television series. Taking a transmedia approach to brand building and the development of intellectual properties, Arcana publishes graphic novels for North America in print, and now digitally as well. Arcana has been published and distributed in dozens different countries and translated into just as many languages across the globe.

ABOUT BLUEWATER

Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”